Lamateb



G. H. REYNOLDS.

(No Model.)

GASV ENGINE.

Ill

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y l .UNITED 'STATl-:s

` GRORGRII. REYNOLDS, Orjnnw YORK, CORNELIUS II. DRLAIVIATRR, GEORGLAMATRR, or sAMR PLACE.

,N.` Y., ASSIGNOR OF-ONE-HALF rIO .l H. ROBINSON,` AND WILLIAM DE-SPECIFICATION fel-ming pere of Letters Patent' Nol 284,328, datedseptember 4, ieee.

Application leu July 21, Itas.` (No model.)

.To a/ZZ whom, it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H; REYNOLDS,

of the city and county of N ewr Ork, in the State of New York,

have invented a new and useful 1 I 5 Improvement in Gas- Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to those engines which are operated by an explosivemixture of air and gas, and in which the explosive mixture,

Io` taken into the cylinder at 011e stroke ofthe piston, is compressedto a high return-strokeof the piston,

degree by the and is exploded While in such compressed state.`Engines-of this class are much more economical and de- `I5 sirable thanthose in which the gas and air are exploded at or but little above thenormal pressure, becausefor equal power they are 0f a smaller size, andbecause they work with V l much less clearance; but heretofore the addil 2o tional mechanism necessaryto adapt the engine for liring underpressure has been of such complicated' characterand has added so much tothe cost of the engine that onlyl gas-engines of .the larger sizes-saytwo-horse power and over-have been operated O11 that principle. Theobject of 'my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means forenabling the engine to firekunder pressllre, and thus to secure all theadvantages ofthe more` expensive "3VO classof engines now in use, whileretaining the simplicity of engines of the other class.`

`'Io this end the invention consists in the combination of a gas-enginecylinder having a large and a small compartment, apiston fit- "35, tedto the larger compartment, a valve controlling the admissionof theexplosive mixl tllre to the smaller compartment and its igni tion insaid compartment, and a valve separating the two compartments'andadapted to4 40 open toward the larger compartment. The vvalvebetween the two 'compartments opens to allow the explosive mixture topass through the slnaller compartment into the larger, and

l 1 to allow the fire to communicate with the gas which is under`pressurein the larger compartment when the ment is ignited.

gas in the smaller compart- I may separate or form the two compartmentsbya partition or diaphragm t Introduced into the cylinder and having theI valve fitted in it; or the valve itself may be 5o made `large enoughto constitute a partition and close on a seat inthe cylinder. A

In the accompanying drawi1lgs,Figure 1 is a rear elevation of part/of anengine embody- `ing my invention, and Fig. 2 is a longitudi- 55 nalsectin of a part ofthe cylinder `and appurtenances. n

A Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in bothgures.

`A designates the cylinder, which is closed 6o at the back by a hollowhead, A', in which is the usual mixing-chamber, a; Gas is introduced tothe mixing-chamber a by a passage or Ainlet opening, b, and air isintroduced thereinto through a pipe, c, provided with the'usualreservoin c', to prevent the loss of gas by its escapinginto theatmosphere.

- On the inner side of the head A is the usual disk-valve, B, whichcontrols the inflow of the mixture of gas and air from themixing-cham-7o ber a, and which also controls the ignition of the explosive mixturefrom a j et or burner, d, which is arranged in a recess in the head A',and communicates with the cylinder when an aperture in the valve B comesopposite `a small aperture in the head A. The .diskvalve B is mountedupon a stem or. shaft, B', upon which is a gear-wheel, B2, and saidstem, and-valve are rotated by awheel, B3, on a shaft, B4, which extendslengthwise ofthe en- 8O gine and is geared with the crank-shaft of theengine. I have not shown the crank-shaft or the connection with theshaft B4; but as in engi-nes of this kind the shaft B? commonly `worksthe exhaust-valve, it follows engine firing under pressure the shaft Btshould make only one revolution to two revo lutions of the crank-shaft,so that the exhaustvalve will be opened onlyduring the returnstroke ofthe piston which follows the explosion. n I have not shown the exhaustmeehani'sm, as it forms no part of my present invention.

In the cylinder A is tted a partition or diaphragm, C, dividing thecylinder with two compartments, e f. The former compartment, e, which isvery small, receives the explosive mixture of gas and air from the valveB, and

that in an 85 larger compartment f,

Athe valve-stemor shaft B, and has a spring,

g2, applied to its rear end to hold the valve closed.

In lieu of having a fixed partition and a valve tted thereto fordividing` the cylinder into two compartments, I may employ a largervalve, which by seating on the cylinder will 'constitute a partition toform the two compartments ef..

Referring now to the operation of the engine, I will suppose that thepiston is just about to commence its movement away from the partition ordiaphragm C, and that the valve B is just about to admit the explosivemixture to the compartment e. As the piston moves, it draws in a chargeof the explosive mixture through the compartment@ and valve g,- but whenthe piston commences its return movement, the valve g instantly closes,and hence at the completion of the return movementthe mixture in thecompartment f is highly compressed, while the mixture in the compartmente (supposing the valve g to be tight) is at the normal pressure. If theignition-burner d were exposed to the compressed mixture in thecompartment f, it would be blown out without firing the gas; but themixture inthe compartment e, notbeing compressed, is red when the valveB exposes theV ignition-burner d. rIhe pressure produced by theexplosion of the mixture confined in the compartment e momentarily opensthe valve g and. ignites the compressed mixture in the compartment f,which acts upon the piston. Moreover, the mixture confined in the cominthe compartmentf,

partment e becomes heated sufficiently to produce a slight degree ofexpansion before it is fired, and consequently when the vignitionburnerd is exposed by the valve B there will bea slight puff ofthe explosivemixture through the apertures in the valve B and cylinder-head A to'meetthe burner; hence the iiring of the mixture in the compartment e isrendered certain.

The construction of the cylinder with the partition C and valve g addscomparatively nothing to the cost of the engine, and does not complicateit in any way; hence my invention may be embodied with'advantage in thesmallest gasengines, and will greatly increase their power as comparedwith engines which do not fire under pressure.

lhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. rIhe combination of a gas-engine cylinder having a large and a smallcompartment, a piston tted to the larger compartment, a valvecontrolling the admission of the explosive mixture to the smallercompartment and its ignition in said compartment, and a valve separatingthe two compartments and adapted to open toward the larger compartment,substantially as and for the purpose described. 2. The combination ofthe cylinder A, di-` vided by the partition C into small and largecompartments e f, the head A', the piston D in the compartment f, thevalve B in the compartment e, and the valve g in the partition C, allsubstantially as described.

3. The combination of the cylinder A, divided by the partition C intosmall and large compartments e f, the head A', the piston D the valve Bin the compartment e, the hollow valve stem or shaft B', the valve g andits stem g', and spring g2, all substantially as described.

GEO. H. REYNOLDS.

Vitnesses:

FREDK. HAYNEs, ED. L. MORAN.

